Surfers won't wait more than 10 seconds

E-tailers could lose out if their web pages are too slow

Ten seconds can feel like an eternity when you're waiting for a web page to load. And apparently this is the maximum amount of time many of us online shoppers are prepared to wait.

Among those looking to buy online, 70 per cent said they would leave a web page if it failed to load within 10 seconds, according to a PacketExchange survey.

More than half of all respondents said they would visit another online store if a website was poorly designed, or if the entire site crashed. Two out of three (70 per cent) also said they had cancelled an online purchase which took too long to complete.

The news followed another recent survey which showed Britain is becoming a nation of "angry online shoppers". The findings revealed that 93 per cent of us get annoyed with sneaky website tactics - such as hidden delivery charges, which were cited as the most annoying aspect. Some 64 per cent of us said it makes us decide not to buy from certain websites.